Title: What are the duties entrusted to the Tribe of Levi? (1)
12 sons were born to Jacob by God’s grace, the 3rd son was Levi. These 12 sons formed the 12 tribes respectively. The tribe of Levi was called to be the tribe of priest who also is the tribe of firstborn because of the great dedication offered to God in the wilderness journey (Genesis 29:34; Exodus 32:25-29).
- To offer the service of the house of God
1 Chronicles 23:28 For their office is to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God.
Hebrew word for ‘service’ means ‘work, service, labor, slavery’. It also means to purify the house of the Lord.
Hebrew word for ‘to purify’ means ‘to purify, to cleanse, to clean.’ To serve the house of the Lord means to clean the church.
- To purify the chambers
Hebrew word for ‘chamber’ means ‘a small room, guest room, secret room.’ It literally refers to the rooms in the temple where the priests go in to take a rest or to change. Spiritually it means for us to repent of our sins or unknown secrets to God.
- To purify the courts
Hebrew word for ‘court’ means ‘village, city, community, society.’ Physically speaking, there are people throwing away trashes or cigarettes or gums on the street, such things make the whole village and city dirty. We should not throw away trashes to public area but keep them and put them into trash bins.
The courts are the open and public spaces which refers to the community of faith and the church as people. There are people who easily throw trashes away into the community that we are living.
There are also the trash talks, rumors and gossips that we throw into our community so easily. We should know what is good to share and what is good not to share. We should be fully responsible of what we say and what we share. We must not say something based on guess or suspicion (1 Peter 3:10).
While living as a spiritual trash bin, we may get hurt and damaged because of the sharpness and maliciousness of the trash talks that put into our heart. But that is the cross we have to bear. If the firstborns do not dedicate their lives first, who will be following the firstborns? Despite the wounds, let us be proud to become God’s spiritual cleaner.
- To do the work of baking and mixing
1 Chronicles 23:29 and with the showbread, and the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or what is baked in the pan or what is well-mixed, and all measures of volume and size.
There are the breads called ‘the bread of presence’ that priests have to put on the table in the holy place. These breads cannot be bought from bakery but be made by the hands of the Levites.
- The work of mixing
In order to make a well-mixed dough of paste, firstly wheats or beans have to be crushed into flour. If we remain as whole and not crushed, means we will insist on our ideas and our own ways. We received the Word of God as one of the knowledges we have. So, the Word of God may be in us, but as it is not mixed well with ourselves, we will not become new creation.
However, if we are crushed into flour, being hammered down or shredded by the Word, then, there will be no more I (We), our thought, and our own way. Thus, when we mix well with the Word of God, and become a well-mixed dough that can be used by God.
We have to be crushed and become a dough. Only then, God will come and meet with us. Only then God will use us to make what He wants.
(2) The work of baking
We do baking because it is uncooked and immature. The immature and uncooked people pretend they have faith. Yet, when things are not going to happen according to their wishes, they pour out grumbles or blame others or blame the church.
Are you not with immature cleansing, immature thanksgiving, immature tithe, and immature reconciliation today?
If so, let us bake ourselves with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Let’s bake ourselves with the fire of the Word of God. Truly new taste, heavenly taste will bring about within us. All the negativities and grumbles will be changed into positivity and hope.
Let us become the bread of presence that has good taste, heavenly taste, god-level taste so that TLCC may become famous and shinning because of you and me. Many people may come and stay in TLCC because of you and me. Amen!
TLCC is a prebyterian church nearby Petaling Jaya, situated at Phileo Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Our service time in on 10.30am every Lord’s Day and Wednesday 7.30pm weekly.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 